As per this method, the cost of Equity capital is the discount rate that equates the present value of expected future dividends per share with the net proceeds (or current market price) of a share.

K = D /NP (or) D / MP

Illustration:

A company issues 1000 equity shares of Rs.100 each at a premium of 10%. The company has been paying 20% dividend to its equity shareholders for the past 5 years and expects to maintain the same in the future also. Compute the cost of equity capital. Will it make any difference if the market price of equity share is Rs.160?